Microsoft is taking a major step forward by offering unlimited access to Copilot Voice and Think Deeper, marking two years since the AI-powered Copilot was first integrated into Bing search. This update comes shortly after the tech giant revamped its Copilot Pro subscription and bundled advanced AI features into Microsoft 365.

What’s Changing?

Microsoft remains committed to its $20 per month Copilot Pro plan, ensuring that subscribers continue to enjoy premium benefits. According to the company, Copilot Pro users will receive:

• Preferred access to the latest AI models during peak hours.
• Early access to experimental AI features, with more updates expected soon.
• Extended use of Copilot within popular Microsoft 365 apps like Word, Excel, and PowerPoint.

The Impact on Users

This move signals Microsoft’s dedication to enhancing AI-driven productivity tools. By expanding access to Copilot’s powerful features, users can expect improved efficiency, smarter assistance, and seamless integration across Microsoft’s ecosystem.

As AI technology continues to evolve, Microsoft is positioning itself at the forefront of innovation, ensuring both casual users and professionals can leverage the best AI tools available.

Stay tuned for further updates as Microsoft rolls out more enhancements to its AI offerings.

Google has introduced a free version of Gemini Code Assistant, its AI-powered coding assistant, for solo developers worldwide. The tool, previously available only to enterprise users, is now in public preview, making advanced AI-assisted coding accessible to students, freelancers, hobbyists, and startups.

More Features, Fewer Limits

Unlike competing tools such as GitHub Copilot, which limits free users to 2,000 code completions per month, Google is offering up to 180,000 code completions—a significantly higher cap designed to accommodate even the most active developers.

“Now anyone can easily learn, generate code snippets, debug, and modify applications without switching between multiple windows,” said Ryan J. Salva, Google’s senior director of product management.

AI-Powered Coding Assistance

Gemini Code Assist for individuals is powered by Google’s Gemini 2.0 AI model and offers:
Auto-completion of code while typing
Generation of entire code blocks based on prompts
Debugging assistance via an interactive chatbot

The tool integrates with popular developer environments like Visual Studio Code, GitHub, and JetBrains, supporting a wide range of programming languages. Developers can use natural language prompts, such as:
“Create an HTML form with fields for name, email, and message, plus a submit button.”

With support for 38 programming languages and a 128,000-token memory for processing complex prompts, Gemini Code Assist provides a robust AI-driven coding experience.

Enterprise Features Still Require a Subscription

While the free tier is generous, advanced features like productivity analytics, Google Cloud integrations, and custom AI tuning remain exclusive to paid Standard and Enterprise plans.

With this move, Google aims to compete more aggressively in the AI coding assistant market, offering developers a powerful and unrestricted alternative to existing tools.

Vivo has officially started announcing the arrival of the Vivo V50 in India, although its exact launch date is yet to be confirmed. A recent leak suggests that the smartphone could be launched on February 18. The company has now launched a microsite for the upcoming device, revealing key details about its design, camera capabilities, and features. Unlike its Chinese counterpart, the Vivo S20, the V50 will have some unique specifications designed for the global market, where the S series will be rebranded as the V series.

Vivo V50: Design and Build

As per the teaser, the Vivo V50 will retain the same design as its predecessor, featuring a bullet-shaped camera island. On the top, a circular module houses the dual camera sensors, giving it a distinctive aesthetic.

One of its features is its ultra-slim profile, which makes it the slimmest smartphone in India that packs a massive 6000mAh battery. Although it is inferior to the 6,500mAh battery of the Vivo S20, it beats the Vivo V40 in terms of battery capacity.

The smartphone will be available in three colors: Rose Red, Titanium Gray, and Starry Blue. The Starry Blue edition will feature 3D star technology, which creates an attractive effect similar to a starry night sky.

Adding to its durability, the Vivo V50 comes with IP68 and IP69 ratings, which ensure dust and water resistance.

Screen and durability

The Vivo V50 will feature a quad-curve display with a curvature of 41 degrees, which will contribute to its premium look. The bezels are very thin, measuring just 0.186 cm, which makes for a better viewing experience. Additionally, the display is protected by Diamond Shield Glass, which is designed to provide excellent drop resistance.

Camera capabilities

Vivo has collaborated with Zeiss for the front and rear cameras of the Vivo V50. The rear camera setup includes a 50MP primary sensor with optical image stabilization (OIS) and a 50MP ultra-wide-angle lens capable of recording 4K video.

For selfies, the device features a 50-megapixel front camera, which ensures high-quality self-portraits and video calling.

Photography enthusiasts will love the Multi-Focus Portrait mode, which allows users to shoot at focal lengths of 23mm, 35mm, and 50mm. Additionally, the camera will feature seven Zeiss-style bokeh effects for artistic portrait shots.

A unique color-adaptive border feature will automatically extract and apply colors from images such as wedding photos to create custom borders.

The Vivo V50 comes with Aura Light flash and AI Studio Light Portrait 2.0, which enhances soft and bright light in photos.

Software and features

Vivo claims that the V50 will deliver five years of trouble-free performance, which will demonstrate strong optimization and longevity.

The phone is confirmed to include several AI-powered features, such as:

• Gemini AI integration
• Circle functionality for searching
• AI transcription support
• Live call translation
• It will run on Funtouch OS 15.

Release and expected price

While the hardware specifications of the Vivo V50 are yet to be revealed, an official launch date is expected to be announced soon.

For reference, the Vivo V40 was launched in June last year at a starting price of ₹34,999. According to industry sources, the V50 is also likely to be priced in the same range.